Construction and Engineering Solicitors

Embarking on an interior fit-out of your business premises?  We’re here to help every step of the way.  Whether it’s an office, a retail unit, a hotel, an industrial unit, or some other space, we recognise that an interior fit-out represents a huge investment for any business.  The capital costs can be significant, and if things go wrong, there can be unwelcome delays and business disruption for weeks, months, or sometimes years.  IBB’s Construction and Engineering team has helped numerous businesses with the successful implementation of their fit-out projects across the UK.  Speak with us before signing up to a fit-out contract presented by a commercial fit-out contractor.  Our specialists will work to ensure that you have adequate redress if things go wrong, and so that the fit-out contract properly responds to the sensitivities and demands of your business, and your stakeholders.  Our services include:

• Drafting and negotiating the Fit-Out Contract,
• Project insurance,
• Appointing building professionals,
• Liaising with interested third parties such as landlords, other occupiers and neighbours,
• On-hand legal advice during the Project, and
• The resolution of disputes (should they emerge)

Our Construction and Engineering team work with property developers and house builders on projects of all scales.  We advise on developments with Golden Brick provisions, Development Agreements, Building Agreements (including for Affordable Housing and Social Housing), Building obligations in Agreements for Lease, Forward Purchase Agreements, and Forward Funding Agreements.  We will also assist our clients with design and construction procurement, and the satisfaction of third party interests (such as funders).  We are on hand to provide general legal support throughout our client’s developments.

We advise main contractors, specialist sub-contractors, engineering companies and professionals on the drafting and negotiation of their contracts. We are also on hand to advise on Construction and engineering dispute resolution processes.  When a debt isn’t disputed, we can call upon the services of IBB’s debt recovery  team.

IBB Law regularly advises suppliers and logistics companies operating in the construction and engineering sector including on supply agreements, installation and fit-out contracts, contract disputes and debt recovery.

We carry out legal due diligence for banks and other funding institutions in relation to development funding for the construction and engineering sectors, and we are experienced in advising on funder-friendly contracts for a whole range of developments.  Our ultimate objective is to minimise risk for our funder clients, but we understand the expectations of insurers and the market.  We are accustomed to working effectively alongside credit teams and monitoring surveyors, and we will co-operate with borrower’s solicitors to help them meet funding conditions.

We regularly provide in-house training to the development finance teams of our banking and funder clients.  We help them to understand the purpose of taking construction security, and to identify the various practical and legal risks associated with their clients’ construction projects.

Our specialist construction and engineering specialist insurance solicitors act for both major insurers and policyholders.

We advise on insurance disputes  between individual policy holders and their insurer, and we advise on all other types of commercial insurance disputes acting for both policyholders and the insurance companies.  Our services include the provision of effective support in relation to:

• coverage disputes
• the terms of insurance policies
• what policyholders need to do to remain compliant
• the impact of changes to an insurance policy or to a policy holder’s requirements, and
• complaints to Lloyds or the Financial Ombudsman, and Court proceedings.

Our construction and engineering solicitors work closely with local government authorities and third-sector organisations on their own construction and engineering projects and third-party projects that impact their interests.

We provide advice in relation to public utilities, highways, and rail.  In the health and charities sectors, we have advised in relation to over 30 Acute NHS Hospital sites in the UK.